Warning light



Sept. 4, 1928.

1,682,948 0. C. RITZ WOLLER WARNING LIGHT Filed y 13, 1925 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 4, 1928.

O. C. RITZ WOLLER WARNING LIGHT Filed y 13, 192% 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented Sept. 4, 1928.

UNlTED STATES 1,682,948 PATENT ()FFICE.

OLIVER C. RITZ WOLLER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

' WARNING LIGHT.

Application filed July 13,

My invention relates to combined stop and tail lights of the typeadapted for use with automobiles, and it has for its principal objectsTo provide an improved arrangement of parts comprising a plurality ofunits adaptquick replacement in one of the units byifi which they areheld firmlywhile the unitis being secured in operative position;

To provide improved means for securing the glasses in the unitso as toenable them to be quickly inserted and quickly'removed,

and otherwise to improve such unit with respect to low cost ofmanufacture and ease of I production and assembly;

To provide an improved arrangement of parts for holding the bulbs orglobes removably in position, one of which parts is preferably in theform of a reflector, and

To improve devices of this type in sundry details hereinafter pointedout. The preferred means by which I have accomplished my several objectsare illustrated 1n the drawingsand are hereinafter specificallydescribed. That which I believe to be new and desire to securewby thisapplication is set forth in the claims.

:55 In the drawingsvice;

Fig. 2 is a rear view;

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section taken sub- 4o stantially 'OIltlleline 33 of Fig. 1, a part of the supporting bracket of the device havingbeen broken away;

Fig. 1 is a rear View of the front unitof Fig. 1 is a faceview of myimproved de-' front view of the rear unit, a

1925. Serial No. 43,105.

Fig. is a vertical cross section taken on the line 10-1O of Fig. 9.

, Referring to Figs. 1 to 8 inclusive indicates a casing member formedfrom sheet metal, being closed at its rear end by a crossv plate 16 andbeing open at its'front end.

This casing member is adapted to be so" cured upon a suitable part of anautomo bile by means of a bracket 17 also made of sheet metal andsecured in position in spaced relation to the plate 16 by means ofrivets As is best shown in Fig. 2, the bracket 17 is provided with twooppositely d1sposed slots 19 and 20 in' diagonal position across thebracket, each of said slots comprising a portion extending, verticallyand a portion extending horizontally, the vertical portions of the twoslots being in alignment with each other and the horizontal portions ofthe two slots being in alignment with each j other. In the constructionshown the inter mediate portions of the slots are in the form of arcs ofa circle arranged concentrically with each other. At the point 21 ineach of said slots, the size of the slot is increased so as to permitthe insertion of the head of a bolt 22 by which the bracket is to besecured.

in position. By the use of the arrangement of slots above described, thebracket 17 is capable of' being secured in position with the bolts 22 His extending through holes in some part of the frame work of a car, suchholes being erranged one above the other, one at one side I of theother, or with the holes otherwise arranged in 'varied relativepositions and at varied distances apart. a p v Upon the inner face ofthe plate 16 I have provided a piece of fiber 23, and in front of that asmaller piece of fiber 24. Upon the member 2 I have mounted contactmembers 7 25 in the form of spring arms, such contacts being secured inposition upon the member 24 and being connected with lead-in wires 26.by means of bolts 27. The wires 26 extend through a fiber bushing 27*.The members 23 and 2a are secured to the back plate 16 by bolts 27 tacts25 are suitably insulated from the casing member 15.

By this construction, the con-- til) At the bottom portion of the casingmember 15 the metal is cut away to provide a window for a piece of plainglass 28 (see Figs. 3 and 7 which is shaped to conform to the shape ofthe casing, being of slightly greater length and width than the openingin the casing and having its outer face of reduced size so as to fitsnugly in the opening with its outer face substantially flush with theouter face of the casing. As is clearly shown in Fig. 7, this member 28is heldin position by means of spring retainers 29 which are secured inthe casing by means of bolts 30. The retainer-s29 are provided withshoulders at 31 which abut against the ends of the member 28, thearrangement being such that when-the glass 28 ispressed upwardly on itsouter face the s ring members 29 serveto prerentdisp ac enientot' theglass. Then, however, one ofthe retainers .31 is moved inwardlyfbypressure thereon away from the adjacent portionof the casing; the, glass28 may be the other unit may considered as the detachable unit.

readily removed.

7 Theremaining portions of my improved 7 device are made in the fOIlllOfa single compact unit which is detachablyconnected with the unit abovedescribed. the unit already described being thebase or fixed unit Whiledetachable unit comprises, a sleeve .Thi orcasing ring 3 2 which istelescopically con nected With the casing member as is clearly shown inF igi "3. This casing memberf32 is made ofsheet metal, having a flange33 at its front edge and being provided with a crossbar 34 extendinghorizontally at its middle point the flange and i the cross bar beingformed integrally with ythesleevein the construction illustrated.

Mounted within the sleeve 32 are two lenses or colored glass members 35and 3.6; such glasses being in position Within the sle evefl32. by a.flanged retaining ring 37 which fits snugly within the sleeve so as to Ihereadilyslidable"into and out of position therein, the arrangementbeing such that "thelfriction ofthe ring zigainstthe inner, I face ofthe sleeve 32 serves to hold the g lasses 35 3,6removably in position,the r1ng-37 beingprovided witha cross bar38 formed integrally therewithin position' to I sta'l nd'opposite the cross bar 34 of the casingglasses'canbe very readilyremoved when member 32; As will bereadilyunderstood,

the sleeve 32 andring 37"coniprises in effect a bezel which the coloredglasses are se curely held in positionand from which the v .desired. Inthe construction shown [the glass 35 of a green color, being formed w thlettersthereon, such letters in the construction shown comprising theword Stop..

The lass 36 in the construction shownis of are color. p

The/crossbar 38 is provided at itsft'op and bottom edges with rearwardly extending arms 39 and 40 suqh armsin the construe,

tion shown being formedflof the *metalrut" out intheformation of thering .7 Upon the arn 39 I have provided a reflector 41 secured by meansof rivets t2 upon the upper face of thearm 39. The reflector 41 is 43adapted to receiyean electric light globe 44,t'he socket 43being'slotted at- 45 to performed of sheet metal comprising a socket mitthe passage of 131115 46 carried by the metal ancl secured by means ofrivets 48 upon the :bottom face of the arrn A0, I j bracket .47 inlikemanner is providedgwith a socket 49 similar to the socket 453,compris,-: ing slots 50 at its top and bottom pQltions andsuitabtenotches for receiving the pins 51- of; the globe 52, this; glohebeinghheld ine ower I position byithegspring pressure of springcontactarm I The b acket A7 I compri es .a hor zontally disposed plate53 extending substantially to the front face of. the plate 16 of the-fixed im I casingmember (see F1 g.;5),such-p late 53 serving as44and52, a

The casing membe ,15 and 32 areadapted to be secured detaohahly togetherb means V oi. bolts 54"passing through suitab e open g i he bezel memb rand h v ng threaded connection withbrackets 55 carried...

by the casing member 15, in the construction shown such hraketS-r55being seCu 'e in position .by referred. to;

111 the use of partition between the globes device,

screw I I ever it; is desired to obtain access to them: I

terior of .theioasingrthiislca e done by the removal of the bolts 54,whereuppnthex lefive p 32 can be very'readil sli- Red out of positlOIluponjthe open (an loitthe casing'lilember 15'. With the 'removableunitofthe device attachedin this manner,; theglobes 44: and

521may be readily shppedinut .of position in the sockets, or the sleeve32 can he slipped outriof position about the ring37 for {the removal ofthe colored Upon the-re nsertion oft e parts, the device is heldtogetherin the form of a unit by reasonto flthe snug working fit of theparts, i 7 o t th lored glasses and "the globes are glasses: 35 and 36.

ll" l replacedwithin thecasing15in the 'form of a compactunitarystructure so that there:

is no danger ofafny .one of thepart's being dropp andjf en- I I IReferring'now to Figs. 9 and 10 which? show: a; modified formatconstruction,' 56

ndieates: the! slee e member oi the casing provided with coloredglasses. 57 and 58.

The cooperating bezelmember 59 is similar to du l ng-37 except that thecross bar (10 of rivets 62 upon the cross bar 60, such bracket being ofa size and shape adapted for forming a partition between the upper andlower portions of the casing, such partition in the construction shownbeing provided with vertically disposed flanges 63 at the side edges.The bracket 61 is provided with upwardly extending lugs 64 to which areflector 65 such as that before described is connected by means ofrivets 66, the reflec-' tor 65 being provided with a suitable socket forsupporting the globe 67 At its middle point, the bracket 61 is providedwith a downwardly extending arm 68 which is equipped with an integrallyformed socket 69 of the same type as that described in connection withthe bracket 47, such arm 68 being adapted to removably support a globe70.

Inasmuch as the modified form of con struetion operates in the samemanner as that above described in connection with the form disclosed inFigs. 1 to 8, it is believed to be unnecessary to describe the samefurther.

hile my invention is shown as applied to a combination tail light andstop light for an automobile, I do not desire to limit myself in thisway, since it is evident that it is adaptable for use in any typeofwarning light device for an automobile or for any other purpose as maybe desired. It is also to be understood that I do not wish to be limitedto the details of construction as illustrated in my drawings and asabove described except so far as the same may be specifically claimed,inasmuch as it is clear that changes may well be made in the details ofconstruction without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A warning light device, comprising in combination a casing member inthe form of a ring and having parts projecting inwardly therefrom, alens in the opening of the ring with its edge portions engaging theinwardly prO eetmg parts of the ring, a retaining member slidablymounted in said ring and held by friction removably therein for holdingthe lens in position, a bracket carried by said retaining member andprojecting backwardly therefrom for supporting an electric light globetherein opposite said lens, a second casing member, and means fordetachably connecting said two casing members together serving therebyto secure said retaining member positively in position in said 7 ring.

2. A warning light device, comprising in combination a casing member inthe form of a flanged ring, a bar extending across the ring, lenses inthe openings on opposite sides of the bar with their edge portionsseated against the bar and the flange, a retaining member slidablymounted in said ringand comprising a bar opposite the bar of the ring,being held by friction removably in the ring for holding the lenses inposition, a second casing memben'and means for detacliably connectingsaid two casing members together serving thereby to secure saidretaining member positively in position in said ring.

3. A warning light device comprising two rings each having a barextending across diametrically, two lenses secured between said tworings, a bracket extending rearwardly from one of said cross bars andsup ported thereby, a reflector secured to said bracket for supportingan electric light globe thereon, and a socket formed on an arm bent downfrom the bracket for supporting a second electric light globe.

at. A warning light device comprising two rings each having a barextending across diametrically, two lenses secured between said tworings, a bracket secured to one of said cross bars and extendingrearwardly therefrom, strengthening flanges 0n the side edges of saidbracket, and means for supporting'electric light globes both above andbelow said bracket.

5. A warning light device comprising two rings each having a barextending across diametrically, two lenses secured between said tworings, a bracket secured to one of said cross bars and extendingrearwardly therefrom, and means for supporting electric light globesboth above and below said bracket, the bracket being adapted to servetric light globes both above and below said bracket, said bracket andthe flanges carried thereby being adapted to serve as a partitionbetween the two globes.

OLIVER C. RITZ WOLLER'.

